FROME people are wanted to help set up a repair project in an attempt to cut down on consumer culture.
In March next year learning organisation Edventure will be challenging its students to set up a community start-up that encourages people to fix their things – from clothes to electronics to bikes and board games.
Edventure is looking for people interested in learning to fix things, people who already can, and others who would like to volunteer with the scheme.
Biz Bliss said, “When things break it’s often easier and cheaper to throw them away rather than get them repaired. But this means that things are being needlessly thrown away that could be given a new lease of life if we had the skills and the opportunity to repair them.
“There was a time when the ‘make do and mend’ culture was thriving, but our consumer-focused lifestyles have made us lazy or less imaginative when it comes to fixing broken things, or there are financial and practical obstacles in the way. But there’s a new trend re-igniting our imagination when it comes to fixing, and communities are coming together in the process to share repair skills and enable us to give new life to old objects.
“Initiatives like the ‘Restart Project’ hold events that connect geeky technicians with broken electronics, with happy results for their owners. At the same time this helps to build a sense of community around fixing. ‘Repair Cafe’ is a worldwide network supporting people to hold events to teach people to fix all kinds of things from clothes, to toys, to electronics and much more.
“We’ve already seen some events inspired by this movement in Frome, with Edventure enterprise ‘SHARE – a library of things’ running successful repair cafes and events in Frome. It is great to see so many people taking the time to fix the things they love, instead of throwing them away,” said SHARE co-project manager Helen Johnstone. “Lots of our visitors got stuck in with the fixing too, and several left saying they’d learnt a few things they’d try at home.”
There are various ways to get involved; people aged 18-35 can take part in the course, ‘fixers’ can get involved directly, or there will be other roles for people wanting to get involved.
To find out more about the project go to www. edventurefrome.org, email info@edventurefrome.org, or go along to the ‘Edventure:SOUP’ event at 7pm on 18th January at The Welshmill Hub, Frome.